Chapter One:
Last Night
"Quit trying to avoid the question, Morgan," Elizabeth said impatiently. They were all in the great hall at evening meal, and she and her mate were sitting across from each other at one of the three long table away from the other inhabitants of the castle. Morgan looked down at his plate to avoid looking at his beloved's imploring dark green eyes. She tugged at his heart when she looked at him like that. She tapped his leg with a bare foot to get his attention.
"Morgan," she said gently. He looked up. She made no effort to keep all the love and concern she felt for him from showing in her eyes. Her eyes showed all. She was becoming exceptionally worried about him. For almost a month he had been behaving strangely, though the change was so subtle that only she had noticed it.
"'Tis nothing, my love," he said, reaching across the table and taking her idle hand in his own.
"It most certainly is."
"You will know all when the time comes. Trust me."
She bit her lip but remained silent. She hated it when he was vague like this, keeping her in the dark about something that she felt she had every right to know, but it was his nature and he would not be swayed, so she pressed the matter no farther.
"Okay, then may I ask why you and the other guards and the soldiers are so vigorously preparing as though for war?"
"We should always be prepared."
"Aye, I know, but you have even gone so far as to make sure that even my fighting skills are flawless, both magickally and physically."
"I just want to make sure you can defend yourself."
"You had me ride deep into the forest and had me purify an area of over fifty miles."
He only shrugged, and she knew she would get no more out of him, so she changed the topic again.
"Has there been any news of that servant Jeffrey?"
"Nay. I don't think he planned on returning when he left. I hope he's gone for good."
"Hope? My love, that is a horrible thing to say."
"I do not mean it as such," he said thinking quickly. "I just mean that I don't think that he was looking for is here."
"You mean his feelings for Princess Cathrine?"
"Aye."
"I pity him myself, but Cathrine wasn't meant for him. She belongs with Reynold."
"How observant you are, Elizabeth." They looked up and saw Cathrine standing over them.
"Aye, I know," Elizabeth said sardonically. "Sit with us."
"Nay, I am sorry. I am going to retire shortly, but first I would like a word with you, Morgan."
Morgan reluctantly stood, not wanting to leave Elizabeth, but knew that it must be important for Cathrine wanting to tell him right then. He came around the table and bent over, gave Elizabeth a quick kiss on the cheek. Before he could stand again, however, her hand shot up and she threaded her nimble fingers through his bright red hair, holding his face before hers. He looked into her eyes, wondering what she was about.
"I will be in our chamber when you return, love," she whispered. She kissed him on the lips then, so passionately that when it ended it was a few moment before he was aware of himself again. Elizabeth saw Cathrine out of the corner of her eye trying desperately not to laugh.
"Aye," he said quickly. "I will not be long."
"Morgan accompanied Cathrine out onto a nearby balcony. She turned to face him, her dark blue eyes unreadable.
"Aye, Princess?" he said after a long pause.
"Tomorrow."
"Pardon?"
"They are coming tomorrow, just after the sun sets."
He felt his blood turn to ice.
"You're sure?"
"Aye. I had the premonition just after darkness fell. I know it will happen then."
He swallowed but didn't say anything.
"Go to Elizabeth, Morgan. Tell her tonight so she will be prepared. Spend your last night here with her."
"Aye, my lady.
~*~*~
"Elizabeth," Morgan said as he entered there chamber. She was standing looking out the window but turned away at the sound of his voice. "Come to me." She walked over to him, her white silk Priestess robes with gold trim billowing as she walked. When she reached him he took her in his strong arms and pulled her against his body, resting his chin the locks of her long ebony hair.
"Morgan, what is it?" she asked him quietly after a few moments. He pulled away from her just far enough to see her beautiful face. The sorrow she saw there broke her heart. "My love?"
"Earlier this eve you asked me what was bothering me, and I told you that you would know when the time comes. The time has come."
His beloved gave no reaction, merely lifted a delicately shaped eyebrow in question.
"We were talking of Jeffrey earlier, remember?"
"Aye."
"About a month ago, on the night he left, I had a premonition. He has been possessed by a Shadow. Love, he will bring an army down upon this castle. All within or who defend it will perish, and this kingdom will fall."
Elizabeth's eyes widened in surprise.
"I would never have believed..." suddenly her eyes cleared of emotion, "wait, nay, I would," she said on a second thought. "His jealousy would make him an easy victim." Then her eyes filled with unrepentant hatred. "Bloody hell. He... they have no right to cut our lives and the lives of the others short. I shant allow it!"
"Nothing can change our futures. You learned this lesson long ago, several times , I might add."
Her eyes filled with tears of fury and her body became as tense as a bow string. He pulled her against him again, stroking her blue-black hair soothingly for several long moments until the tenseness had been drawn out of her.
"Come. Lets go outside," he suggested. "Lets enjoy the last night in this place." He felt her nod against him and he pulled away from her, taking her hand in is own, and leading her from the chamber.
~*~*~
They were running though the woods, laughing just for the fun of it, under the light of the full moon, and soon they came upon their favorite clearing. Here they stood together, breathing heavily, and they looked up at the starts, their arms around each other.
"I will be missing this life," she admitted after a few moments of silence. "I don't reckon that I shall be able to return before the way of life on this land has changed again."
"I am sure that the new will be just as good, if not better than the old. Life in ancient Egypt was much different by far than life here."
"True. It is much colder here. And you never met anyone with hair red, like yours or Cathrine's in Egypt. They all looked the same."
He smiled in amusement.
"And you were still a priestess then."
"I guess I always will be, but remember, I was a priestess long before I came to Earth... Maybe one day there will be no such thing as priestesses. Religion has a life span just like everything else."
"I hope not, it seems to be your only way of blending in with any group of people. But I suppose you are right. one day it will have to go."
She up at him and kissed him gently on the lips.
"Are you saying that I am too odd to survive outside of religion?" she asked teasingly.
"Aye, in a way you are."
She kissed him again, passionately this time, fueling the fire between them. Both their minds became clouded with passion. His hands slid the white robes open and off her shoulders, down her arms, until the were pooled around her feet. Seconds later he had slid the white dress that had been under it off her shoulders and onto the ground, and her shift followed it. He stopped kissing her then and stepped back, looking at her body draped in nothing but moonlight. His eyes traveled down her breasts, past her small waist, over her slim hips, and down her long shapely legs. He wanted to memorize every inch of her, knowing that this would be the last time he would ever be with her like this. He quickly stripped out of his own garments and they pressed their bodies together. He kissed her again, stopping only once to spread her robe out on the ground and lay them both down upon it.
An urgency in the very air told them that they would soon be parted; their loveplay was rough and frenzied in it's intensity. His lips licked and kissed her entire body, filling his senses with the taste and touch of her. Elizabeth's emotions were so intense, her kisses turned to bites. Her mouth moved down his throat down over his muscular chest. When he finally thrust within her, she felt she would faint from the pleasure. In a time that is never, ever long enough for lover's they both gained their release and lay next to each other, utterly content for the moment.
"I love you," she whispered.
"And I will always love you."
"Always," she whispered as she lay her head on his chest.
Last Night
"Quit trying to avoid the question, Morgan," Elizabeth said impatiently. They were all in the great hall at evening meal, and she and her mate were sitting across from each other at one of the three long table away from the other inhabitants of the castle. Morgan looked down at his plate to avoid looking at his beloved's imploring dark green eyes. She tugged at his heart when she looked at him like that. She tapped his leg with a bare foot to get his attention.
"Morgan," she said gently. He looked up. She made no effort to keep all the love and concern she felt for him from showing in her eyes. Her eyes showed all. She was becoming exceptionally worried about him. For almost a month he had been behaving strangely, though the change was so subtle that only she had noticed it.
"'Tis nothing, my love," he said, reaching across the table and taking her idle hand in his own.
"It most certainly is."
"You will know all when the time comes. Trust me."
She bit her lip but remained silent. She hated it when he was vague like this, keeping her in the dark about something that she felt she had every right to know, but it was his nature and he would not be swayed, so she pressed the matter no farther.
"Okay, then may I ask why you and the other guards and the soldiers are so vigorously preparing as though for war?"
"We should always be prepared."
"Aye, I know, but you have even gone so far as to make sure that even my fighting skills are flawless, both magickally and physically."
"I just want to make sure you can defend yourself."
"You had me ride deep into the forest and had me purify an area of over fifty miles."
He only shrugged, and she knew she would get no more out of him, so she changed the topic again.
"Has there been any news of that servant Jeffrey?"
"Nay. I don't think he planned on returning when he left. I hope he's gone for good."
"Hope? My love, that is a horrible thing to say."
"I do not mean it as such," he said thinking quickly. "I just mean that I don't think that he was looking for is here."
"You mean his feelings for Princess Cathrine?"
"Aye."
"I pity him myself, but Cathrine wasn't meant for him. She belongs with Reynold."
"How observant you are, Elizabeth." They looked up and saw Cathrine standing over them.
"Aye, I know," Elizabeth said sardonically. "Sit with us."
"Nay, I am sorry. I am going to retire shortly, but first I would like a word with you, Morgan."
Morgan reluctantly stood, not wanting to leave Elizabeth, but knew that it must be important for Cathrine wanting to tell him right then. He came around the table and bent over, gave Elizabeth a quick kiss on the cheek. Before he could stand again, however, her hand shot up and she threaded her nimble fingers through his bright red hair, holding his face before hers. He looked into her eyes, wondering what she was about.
"I will be in our chamber when you return, love," she whispered. She kissed him on the lips then, so passionately that when it ended it was a few moment before he was aware of himself again. Elizabeth saw Cathrine out of the corner of her eye trying desperately not to laugh.
"Aye," he said quickly. "I will not be long."
"Morgan accompanied Cathrine out onto a nearby balcony. She turned to face him, her dark blue eyes unreadable.
"Aye, Princess?" he said after a long pause.
"Tomorrow."
"Pardon?"
"They are coming tomorrow, just after the sun sets."
He felt his blood turn to ice.
"You're sure?"
"Aye. I had the premonition just after darkness fell. I know it will happen then."
He swallowed but didn't say anything.
"Go to Elizabeth, Morgan. Tell her tonight so she will be prepared. Spend your last night here with her."
"Aye, my lady.
~*~*~
"Elizabeth," Morgan said as he entered there chamber. She was standing looking out the window but turned away at the sound of his voice. "Come to me." She walked over to him, her white silk Priestess robes with gold trim billowing as she walked. When she reached him he took her in his strong arms and pulled her against his body, resting his chin the locks of her long ebony hair.
"Morgan, what is it?" she asked him quietly after a few moments. He pulled away from her just far enough to see her beautiful face. The sorrow she saw there broke her heart. "My love?"
"Earlier this eve you asked me what was bothering me, and I told you that you would know when the time comes. The time has come."
His beloved gave no reaction, merely lifted a delicately shaped eyebrow in question.
"We were talking of Jeffrey earlier, remember?"
"Aye."
"About a month ago, on the night he left, I had a premonition. He has been possessed by a Shadow. Love, he will bring an army down upon this castle. All within or who defend it will perish, and this kingdom will fall."
Elizabeth's eyes widened in surprise.
"I would never have believed..." suddenly her eyes cleared of emotion, "wait, nay, I would," she said on a second thought. "His jealousy would make him an easy victim." Then her eyes filled with unrepentant hatred. "Bloody hell. He... they have no right to cut our lives and the lives of the others short. I shant allow it!"
"Nothing can change our futures. You learned this lesson long ago, several times , I might add."
Her eyes filled with tears of fury and her body became as tense as a bow string. He pulled her against him again, stroking her blue-black hair soothingly for several long moments until the tenseness had been drawn out of her.
"Come. Lets go outside," he suggested. "Lets enjoy the last night in this place." He felt her nod against him and he pulled away from her, taking her hand in is own, and leading her from the chamber.
~*~*~
They were running though the woods, laughing just for the fun of it, under the light of the full moon, and soon they came upon their favorite clearing. Here they stood together, breathing heavily, and they looked up at the starts, their arms around each other.
"I will be missing this life," she admitted after a few moments of silence. "I don't reckon that I shall be able to return before the way of life on this land has changed again."
"I am sure that the new will be just as good, if not better than the old. Life in ancient Egypt was much different by far than life here."
"True. It is much colder here. And you never met anyone with hair red, like yours or Cathrine's in Egypt. They all looked the same."
He smiled in amusement.
"And you were still a priestess then."
"I guess I always will be, but remember, I was a priestess long before I came to Earth... Maybe one day there will be no such thing as priestesses. Religion has a life span just like everything else."
"I hope not, it seems to be your only way of blending in with any group of people. But I suppose you are right. one day it will have to go."
She up at him and kissed him gently on the lips.
"Are you saying that I am too odd to survive outside of religion?" she asked teasingly.
"Aye, in a way you are."
She kissed him again, passionately this time, fueling the fire between them. Both their minds became clouded with passion. His hands slid the white robes open and off her shoulders, down her arms, until the were pooled around her feet. Seconds later he had slid the white dress that had been under it off her shoulders and onto the ground, and her shift followed it. He stopped kissing her then and stepped back, looking at her body draped in nothing but moonlight. His eyes traveled down her breasts, past her small waist, over her slim hips, and down her long shapely legs. He wanted to memorize every inch of her, knowing that this would be the last time he would ever be with her like this. He quickly stripped out of his own garments and they pressed their bodies together. He kissed her again, stopping only once to spread her robe out on the ground and lay them both down upon it.
An urgency in the very air told them that they would soon be parted; their loveplay was rough and frenzied in it's intensity. His lips licked and kissed her entire body, filling his senses with the taste and touch of her. Elizabeth's emotions were so intense, her kisses turned to bites. Her mouth moved down his throat down over his muscular chest. When he finally thrust within her, she felt she would faint from the pleasure. In a time that is never, ever long enough for lover's they both gained their release and lay next to each other, utterly content for the moment.
"I love you," she whispered.
"And I will always love you."
"Always," she whispered as she lay her head on his chest.